Wednesday 4 April 2018

Blackwater Holylight - S/T (Album Review)


Release date: April 06th 2018. Label: RidingEasy Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Blackwater Holylight – S/T – Tracklisting

1.Willow 05:21
2.Wave of Conscience 04:13
3.Babies 05:17
4.Paranoia 04:13
5.Sunrise 04:51
6.Slow Hole 06:55
7.Carry Her 04:43
8.Jizz Witch 05:29

Members

Allison (Sunny) Faris
Laura Hopkins
Catherine (Cat) Hoch
Sarah Mckenna.

Review

Blackwater Holylight self-titled debut album is a very weird and intriguing record indeed. The all-female group play a subtle blend of Southern Rock. Fuzz, Psych, Doom and a few other elements. This is a band that has created their own sound. The album has a deeply rich Southern/Gothic style feel with each of the songs sounding very different to each other.

The vocals are beautifully sung throughout whilst the music drifts from serene blissful sounds to a heavier psychedelic and doomier sound. Opening track - Willow - has a classic rock structure with the band bringing a progressive seventies rock feel that allows the band to create heavy doom based sounds. The whole feel and flow of the album drifts one dreamy post-rock movement to the next.

Second track - Wave Of Conscience - carries on the strange psychedelic sounds from the opening but operates with a more fluid feel and you can start hearing some dynamic sludgy grooves being added. This song starts to take the band into heavier waters with the whole mood being more experimental.

Third track - Babies - relies more on Drone based sounds to get the song fully moving. Though Blackwater Holylight still retain their wonderful weird sounding sixties/seventies atmospheric classic rock sound. The song is one of the least heaviest tracks on the album. As Blackwater Holylight play a more soothing blend of Psych/Classic Rock.

I'm perhaps finding it hard to keep describing Blackwater Holylight's overall sound. So I'm gonna stop and focus on the other parts of the album. The vocals are simply exquisite. As they move from a soulful blissful sound to one with more fiery passion. The production is first rate as the album has a very subtle gloomy feel throughout.

This is a heavy atmospheric album. It may not feel like it from your very first listen of the album. However there are a few hidden surprises with each subsequent listen. As you begin to truly appreciate how heavy and creative the album actually is. As I said before in the review. Blackwater Holylight does indeed create their own sound. I can't compare the band to anyone else and that is a good thing.

Songs such as: Sunrise, Slow Hole, Carry Her and the final track – Jizz Witch - keep you under their majestic and heavy spell. Different sounds combine for some of the albums heaviest and finest moments. This album took me by surprise and I'm glad I give this album the chance it richly deserved. Blackwater Holylight has released not only one of the weirdest sounding albums of the year but perhaps one of the best and most enjoyable of recent years.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Dave at US/THEM PR Group and Andy at Palmer Turner Overdrive for the promo. 

Blackwater Holylight debut album will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via RidingEasy Records from April 06th 2018.

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